


I'm With You

by Snurtlicious



Series: I'm With You AU [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, There is one homophobic slur, but it makes sense in context, first meeting AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 00:36:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2793380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snurtlicious/pseuds/Snurtlicious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Running away from home after an altercation with his parents, Ai finds himself alone on a bridge nearby. After a chance meeting with a helpful stranger, he goes back to his apartment with him. Ai was just looking for acceptance and peace, but got a lot more than that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I was standing on a bridge, alone. I wondered if anyone would come for me, but it looked like they didn't. It was dark, and cold, and rainy. I just wanted for someone to come after me, to say it was alright. I tried to position myself under the rusty metal girders so that the rain couldn’t pelt me as easily, but the sharp wind made it impossible to avoid.

I’d left my jacket behind in the panic, and the bite of the cold wetness was seeping into my core. I’d probably have to be the one to swallow my pride and go back, as much as I hated it. A flicker caught my gaze.

Headlights illuminated the wet, metal surface. A car was coming, though it was likely to continue on down the road like nothing was wrong. The light hit my eyes and the approach slowed. I was suddenly thankful for the rain. It hid the tears that rolled down my face when the window rolled down and a head of red hair leaned across the seat.

“Hey, are you alright?” His rough voice called out to me, clashing with the young man’s features. His bangs hung heavily across his forehead, only a few locks hanging down into the center of his face.

“I’m, uh,” not sure what to say. I hadn’t exactly been kicked out, but it was clear that I wasn’t welcome anymore. “Not really?” I managed to eke out. His eyes sharpened a little in the dim light. He was clearly weighing his options here. Would I go with him if he offered?

After a long moment, he reached a muscular forearm out to click open the lock. “If you need to get somewhere, I can give you a ride. You’re going to freeze to death out in this rain.”

I felt his eyes bounce off mine, clearly waiting for me to climb into the passenger seat. I weighed my own options. If I went with him, what would I do? Home was the last place I wanted to be, and I couldn’t ask any friends to put me up under these circumstances. My mom told me once that sometimes you have to live in the moment and not think about things too hard.

My mom also told me that she thought I was a mistake. I clenched my teeth and climbed into the warm car. The interior was soft fake leather that clung to my wet body like plastic wrap on glass. Even still, it was better than being stuck out in the cold rain. It almost felt like someone was wrapped around my back, trying to comfort me.

“So where do you want to go?” His head spun over, face lit gently blue by the radio lights.

I laughed, suddenly feeling like an idiot for doing this. “I don’t really have anywhere to go, honestly.” I felt like just exploding all of my baggage onto this stranger, this man. That wouldn’t do any good, he’d probably react the same way and I’d be right back out on the street.

“Do you…” he sighed. “Do you need a place to stay for the night? It’s not safe to be out this late, especially when the weather is like this.” The heat poured out of the vents, and I couldn’t say no.

But I couldn’t say yes either. He must’ve taken the melancholic look in my eyes as my answer, because he threw the car into drive and started off into the night. His eyes flicked over throughout the drive, and I could tell he wanted to ask me, ask a million questions.

I just told him. “I’m just trying to figure some things out right now.” He nodded and didn’t say another word. The rest of the drive went that way. He was going farther than I expected. I was just a short five minute walk from my house, but we had gone another thirty minutes away from there.

The car came to a stop before I realized what had happened. We must’ve gotten to where he lived. I swung the heavy door open, acutely aware of the fact that my clothes were soaked. The warmth of the car was stripped away in the fifteen steps it took me to get to the warmth of his apartment. I pushed my muddy shoes off, and stepped farther inside.

“Wait here, I’ll get you something else to wear.” The man sped off into a backroom, leaving me to examine this room. He must have lived alone, the messy floor and the pizza crusts that littered the table assured me of that. In all, it was a nice place. The walls were painted a gentle blue that reminded me of my eyes and the floor was covered in a soft gray carpet. The only jarring thing was the small Christmas tree stuck on the middle of the coffee table, twinkling soft white lights that pierced into my heart.

A door clicked shut nearby and startled me a little. In the better lighting, it was easy to see that my assumption was correct. This man couldn’t have been much older than me, but he was a head taller. His maroon polo was nearly the color of his hair, and strangely enough, his eyes. It was almost like a variation of brown that had turned just a little too purple.

He handed me a black towel and a bundle of clothing and directed me to the bathroom. “Just hang the wet stuff over the tub and I’ll take care of it in the morning.” He said, shutting the door tightly behind him. I turned the lock on the silver knob and leaned against the white door. Here I was, in a stranger’s bathroom, where I had no business being.

I was sure that my parents were worried sick at this point, probably having called the police to report that their baby had run away from home and hadn’t come back. The police wouldn’t care though. I was eighteen and my parents couldn’t control me anymore.

The bathroom smelled like cologne and soap. I tossed the green shirt and blue jeans I was wearing onto the rim of the white bathtub. Pulling the towel out, I quickly wiped myself down, making sure to spend an extra minute getting the freezing water out of my short hair. Unfolding the black sweatpants, I realized that he’d tossed a pair of boxer-briefs in with them.

I sighed and stripped out of my underwear as well. I had been wet all the way through, but I was hoping to avoid this step. I slid the dark blue underwear on and quickly pulled the sweatpants over them, trying not to think about it too much. The red shirt had the name of an unfamiliar high school emblazoned on it and was too large for me.

The cold sting of the tile after I’d pulled my socks off encouraged me to go back to the living room. He’d cleared off the couch and placed a pillow and blanket on one end. At the moment, he was in the kitchen making something. The kitchen was more of a nook off to the side of the larger room, but there were two small barstools on the side where the counter jutted out.

“Hi.” I croaked, taking a seat in one of the barstools. He looked over and grinned at me like I was an old friend that had been over a thousand times.

“Hey, I was just making some hot chocolate. It’s about the only thing I’m good at making, actually.” He chuckled. “I made up the couch for you while you were changing, so whenever you’re ready to go to sleep, I’ll head off into my room.”

“I saw that, thanks.” I nodded a little, trying to look less… solemn, I guess. I could at least be nice to the stranger that was letting me stay with him.

“So what’s your name, man?” He turned back for a second and leaned his hip against the counter.

“I’m Aiichiro.” I tried to smile without it looking forced, but who knows how it actually looked.

“Alright, my name’s Rin. It’s nice to meet you, Ai.” He stuck his hand across the bar to shake mine. I was still a little cold from the rain, but his hands were warm and soft. I quelled the skip that my heart did and scolded myself a little. I wasn’t about to get kicked out twice in one day for that. He had turned around to pull something from a cabinet.

“How come you were out on the side of that bridge? Especially in the middle of a storm in December.” He sat a steaming mug down in front of me and leaned over the counter with his own in hand.

I pressed my lips together, trying to make sure that I measured what I said. “My parents kicked me out.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. They said terrible things to me, but I’d left of my own volition.

He made a face like ‘oh’ and took a sip out of the mug. “I’m sorry to hear that, I guess. ‘Specially round this time of year.” That struck me particularly hard, but I didn’t feel like crying over it again. “Well, how about this, Ai? Since you’ve no place left to go, and it’s going to snow, I’d be more than happy to put you up for a few days.” The grin plastered on his face gave away how proud he was of that bad joke, but it made me laugh a little.

“That would be really nice of you, Rin.” I tried to smile again, but my face turned down towards the mug, and the smile slipped into a frown. The apartment was warm. It felt like the heat had been kicked up a few degrees, but it was like gentle warmth, not a stifling heat. Even with my arms on the cool countertop, it was still soothing, not soothing enough though.

“Hey,” he tapped the bottom of my chin with his index finger. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m sure it’ll blow over if you give it a little time.” He looked serious and waggled his finger in my face. I tried not to laugh at how ridiculous he looked, but I think that was his goal. “Are you hungry? How long had you been standing out there? I think there’s some ramen in the freezer or some pizza in the pantry.” He puttered off a few steps before realizing what he’d said. “Wait, I meant—”

“I know what you meant, and yeah, some food sounds great right now.” I laughed at how ditzy he was. It was a nice change from any of my friends. They didn’t really care one way or the other about me. I was just a person to waste time with.

About twenty-five minutes later, two hot pieces of pizza sat in front of me and my stomach growled like a zombie. I tried not to blush when Rin laughed, though his laugh was more out of kindness than spite.

“Tell me something, Ai.” Rin sat the pizza crust down on his plate, having pulled off the rest of the cheese and pieces of pepperoni that clung to it. I swallowed the bite that I was chewing and blinked at him. “How can you stand to eat the crusts? That’s the worst part of the pizza! It’s all bread and… ugh.”

I glanced down to see that I was on the crust. I’d been kind of idly eating, lost in thought. “I don’t mind it that much. Besides, it’s a lot less wasteful. You should be more considerate about all the food you’re wasting when you just toss the crusts out.” I bit back into the crust, taking a little bit of twisted joy in his grimace.

“If you say so, Ai. As long as I’m the one paying for it, I don’t see why I can’t be as wasteful as I want!” He tossed the pizza crust into the trashcan and shouted something about ‘ball being life’.

“So you played basketball?” I inquired, trying to keep the conversation from dying. He raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

“No way, I have shit aim. That was just luck. I’m surprised it didn’t find some way to come back and hit me in the face, honestly.” Rin looked frighteningly serious about that one, until I laughed out of shock and broke the façade. “Good, I’m glad you’re starting to loosen up a little.”

“Huh?” I said between chews. His expression shifted, gaining a lot more gravity. He turned his eyes onto mine, and my heart skipped a beat again. The seriousness that I saw there made my mouth go dry.

“It’s just that you looked really torn up when you got here.” He shook it off, the grin returning to his face. “But you look a lot happier now that you’ve changed and had something to eat.” Glancing behind him to the clock on the stove, I realized that it was past eleven.

“I guess I do feel a little better, but we should probably get some sleep. It’s after eleven and you probably have a job to get to tomorrow.” My head tilted over to look at the couch, but stuck on the Christmas tree that sat on the coffee table.

“Yeah, but it’s just seasonal work. I haven’t really found a steady job around here anywhere.” He stood and took the empty plate out from in front of me, catching my attention again.

“Still though, it would suck to be tired at work.” I retorted, despite not having had a job before.

“Will you be alright by yourself for a few hours tomorrow? There’s a TV and a computer in the other room, no password.” He looked a little concerned. I hope he wasn’t thinking that I was going to burglarize him.

“I’m eighteen, I think I can manage.” His eyebrow flicked up, but quickly went back down. “Why do you ask?” I was suddenly curious.

“I just have to get up early for work, and I didn’t want you to wake up alone and think I’d skipped out on you.” Rin’s face flushed, but I couldn’t tell if it was from being in the warm kitchen or what.

“I wouldn’t have thought that, don’t worry.” I replied, shaking my head. I turned back towards the couch and a loud yawn snuck its way out of my mouth.

“Go lay down, I’ll clean up and then head back to my room.” He waved me off and I complied, padding over and practically throwing myself onto the soft cushions. I unfolded the blanket and tossed it over my body. I noticed when I was snuggling up to the pillow that it smelled a little like his cologne. I watched Rin’s shadow go back and forth across the kitchen as things clinked and dinged together. I struggled to not laugh when he dropped something and cursed loudly, but he just shushed me. I just rolled my eyes, smiling in spite of myself. He was a really nice guy, way nicer than any of the ones I’d known before now.

The light flicked off in the kitchen and he walked over to unplug the small tree that I’d forgotten about, well, ignored. “Good night, Ai.” He said, shaking my foot as he walked past the other end of the couch.

“Good night, Rin.” He stepped around the corner, and I shot forward. “Hey, wait a second.” I could see Rin’s outline pop back around the wall.

“What is it? Do you need another pillow?” He took another step back around. I just wanted to express my gratitude, but I was having a problem getting the words to come out. My heart suddenly pounded so loud that I was having trouble thinking.

“Thanks,” was all I managed to get out, though I wanted to say much more. Despite the darkness, I could tell he was smiling when I heard his slight chuckle.

“Don’t mention it, Ai.” He slipped back around the corner, leaving me alone. I was sure that if the light was turned on, my face would be as red as the shirt I was wearing. I just rolled over and pressed my face into the pillow, letting the sweet scent of Rin’s cologne calm me and help me fall asleep.

When I opened my eyes next, I was stunned, having momentarily forgotten where I was. I was too wrapped up in the warm blankets and the smell of cologne to even remember why I was here at first. It was only after stumbling my way to the bathroom and seeing my clothes laid out that it hit me. My first instinct ruled my actions. I crumbled to the floor in tears, glad that I was alone.

I blotted my eyes and blew my nose into a piece of toilet paper. After a few minutes, I just slunk back onto the couch, trying to regain the sense of peace that sleep had given me. After lying there for what felt like an hour, it became clear that I wasn’t going to fall back asleep. I was thirsty and I hoped that Rin had some Bepsi. I wandered over into the kitchen, noticing a short, handwritten note was poised on the counter.

_Ai,_

_I’m at work now, but feel free to help yourself to whatever food or drink you want. If you’re really hurting for something, call me at XXX-XXXX and I’ll stop off on my way home to pick it up. Have a good morning. I get off work around four, so I’ll see you then._

_\-- Rin_

_(P.S. Don’t eat too much, I’m bringing something home after work)_

I sat the note back down and pulled the fridge open. I shook my head, but walked over to where the phone sat. He said if I was hurting for something, I should just call. Still, I felt a little silly calling to ask him to stop off and buy me some silly drink. Maybe I’d call just to… hear his voice? That was a stupid thought, but I punched in the seven digits to the small cordless phone anyways.

It rang a few times before he picked up. “Hello?”

I took a deep breath. “Hey, Rin, I was just calling to ask if you could pick up some soda on your way back.”

“Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem. What do you want?” I heard something tear in the background and someone started shouting.

“Well, I like Bepsi, but if you’d rather have something else… it’s your money.” I tried not to sound too needy. I was, after all, just a guest.

“Alright, I’m going to swing buy this great burger place on the way home, so don’t fill up on junk or leftover pizza, alright?” A deeper voice rang out in the background. “No, I’m not talking to my girlfriend.” Rin said, prompting laughter from his coworker. I stifled the nervous sigh that I felt.

“I’ll let you get back to work. See you in a while, bye.” I waited for him to say bye and clicked the end button. The note said he got off at four, but what time even was it now? The phone said that it was half past two, but there wasn’t any way that I could’ve slept for fifteen hours. The clock on the stove and the clock on the phone said two different times, but which one was right?

Normally, I could’ve looked at my cell phone to tell the difference, but I’d left it behind as well. I shuffled off down the hallway to the other room. Rin had mentioned a TV and if he had cable, then I could just check on there.

I was a little surprised to see that the ‘office’ was more like a rec room. There was a large flat-screen TV on one wall with a loveseat placed in front of it. The sofa was just a sleek black and gave the whole set up a modern look. On the other wall was a dark, wooden desk with a computer on it. I searched around for the remote and found it stuck down between the cushions of the small sofa.

Flicking the power on, the screen immediately lit up with the time. It was a quarter ‘til three. That means that… it had been nearly three in the morning when we went to sleep. The clock on the stove was four hours wrong. I wondered what time Rin had gotten up. If he was working until four, it was likely that he’d gotten up just less than five hours later to get to work at eight.

I felt bad. I was no one to lose sleep over, and I’d even called to bother him over something stupid like a soft drink. I tried to quell my displeasure, but all I did was inconvenience everyone. I should’ve just gone to university in Tokyo and left all this behind. I had the grades, the potential, but I didn’t want to leave my family yet. I made a bad choice.

Well, maybe it wasn’t all bad. I’d made a new friend at least, and he was really great, letting me stay with him, and feeding me, even clothing me! Maybe if I just left it on this soap opera, all these idle thoughts would melt away and give me at least a moment of solace.

All I learned in the following half hour was that you shouldn’t ever make out with your dead girlfriend’s evil twin sister because the real girlfriend won’t be dead and she’ll come back and stab you in the face with a salad fork. I still had an hour to waste before Rin got off work and probably another half-hour after that before he’d be here.

He did say that the computer wasn’t password protected, so I could always just go watch stupid videos or surf around doing something else. I moved to the swiveling chair and shook the mouse around, pulling up Rin’s desktop. The background wasn’t anything special, just a shiny car. I wasn’t really sure what I expected, honestly. He could’ve been the type to have porn of some girl saved as his background.

Regardless, I opened the internet and just clicked around on random videos, hoping that nothing explicit came up in the ad spaces. I felt the mouse starting to drift towards the home button, wanting to rummage through his documents folder to see what was there. After gnawing on my cheek for a good ten minutes, I finally just gave in and clicked the little yellow folder.

I should’ve known then to stop, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was already in too deep, and once I’d gone through every folder, I realized that he was really… boring. The computer might have been new though, that would explain the distinct lack of any personal documents on it. Or maybe he kept personal info off it because he left it unlocked all the time.

Either way, I was no closer to learning anything new about Rin. I’d learned his last name, at least. Matsuoka, his name was Rin Matsuoka. A quick search revealed no results, so at least he didn’t have a history of crime or murder, or worse. He was just an average, every day guy.

I checked the local news’ page. If there were any reported missing persons, they’d surely be on there, right? There wasn’t anything about a young man who ran out in the cold rain and didn’t come back home though. The clicking of the keys went silent as I shut the monitor off, tired of looking at the screen.

Rin would be back anytime and then I’d have something to do again. Not do like that, I just… ugh, I hated when my thoughts got all muddled. I took a deep breath and turned the TV back on, content to just tune out for an hour. What I didn’t count on, however, was the fact that I’d lean my head back and fall asleep again.

When I woke up a little while later, Rin was sitting on the sofa next to me, watching some drag racing or something. At some point, I must’ve fallen over because my head was up against his shoulder. Now came the tough part. Should I stay like this and just enjoy the heat of contact, or should I move and let him know I was awake?

The latter was probably more ethical, though his shirt smelled like cologne and it was hard to pull myself back. I feigned a yawn and started to sit upright, continuing to act like I’d just awakened.

“What time is it?” I said dreamily, turning my gaze to meet Rin’s alert eyes.

“Just a little after five, I’ve only been back for about twenty minutes.” I tilted my head back to the TV in time to see a massive wreck in the left lane. That car more than likely would not race again. “Holy shit, did you see that? Man, that’d break the bank if that happened to me.”

“Driving is scary,” I murmured, still keeping up the guise of drowsiness.

“Nah, if you just follow the rules, it’s not too bad.” He slapped his hand down on my thigh, startling me the rest of the way awake. “I did bring food back and I also got your Bepsi. You ready to eat?”

I nodded and followed him back out into the kitchen, trying to ignore the muscular lines of his back through the tank top he was wearing. He’d gotten a lot done in the twenty minutes that he’d been home. All of the pizza crusts had been cleaned off the table and the random magazines and papers that were strewn about on the floor sat in a pile on the coffee table.

“Here you go.” He sat two plates and glasses in front of me before circling off to the kitchen to bring a bag and bottle with him. “This place has insane burgers, but they’re a little pricey so I don’t eat there very often.”

I caught on at ‘a little pricey’. “You didn’t have to do that, Rin.” My eyebrows curled down. “Seriously, don’t spend any more on me than you already have.”

“It’s my treat. Besides, it’s nice to have someone to spend money on for once.” He opened the bag, letting the sweet aroma of cooked meat waft around us a little. My stomach riled up in response, but thankfully didn’t growl like a hungry bear the way it had before. Rin sat a lump covered in white paper in front of me.

I peeled back the paper to see a golden brown bun staring back at me. Digging in, the burger was still warm and the cheese was melt-y and it was perfect. I washed it down with a tall glass of Bepsi and was almost ready to take another nap.

“Have you thought about calling your parents?” Rin broke the silent afterglow of a full stomach, his look heavy with worry. “It’s been a whole day, they’ve got to be worried.”

I stared down at the white plate and clenched my teeth. “I really don’t want to talk to them right now, they know what they did.”

“What did they do?” He asked, placing his hand on my arm.

“I told you already, they kicked me out.” The lie continued.

He pulled his hand back to grab the phone off the counter. “Call them.” It wasn’t a request. He sat the small silver buttons into my hand.

I stared at it for a moment and slowly clicked the buttons of my phone number. I felt a shudder in my chest as I hit talk. A few wavering breaths later…

“Hello?” My mom said.

“H-hey,” I stuttered.

“Ai? Is that you?” Her voice was urgent and worried. “Where have you been? I waited up for you all night, but you didn’t come back. Even in the rain and ice. You know you left your jacket and phone here? Have you been safe? Have you eaten?”

“Mom, I’m fine. I’m staying with a friend.” I glanced up at Rin, who gave me a thumbs up. “And yes, I’ve eaten and I’m safe.”

“Please come back home, Ai. I’m sorry for what I said and I’m sure your father is sorry too. It’s almost Christmas too. Please don’t be away from us then.” Her voice was pleading, and again, I couldn’t say no.

“I will. It might be a little while, but I’ll come home tonight.” I promised, placating her enough to yell something across the room and say that she loved me and would see me soon. The phone slipped out of my shaking hands and clattered loudly across the table. I felt cold and my feet were numb, despite the heat of the room.

“See, what did I tell you?” Rin called from the other room. A quick second later, he was wearing a jacket and some shoes. “Your clothes are dry in the other room, so if you want to go change, we can head out.”

I climbed out of the chair wordlessly, avoiding the scent of cologne as my pulse quickened. I quickly swapped Rin’s clothes out for my own… except the underwear. I felt guilty, but I just couldn’t help myself. I just shoved my own in my pocket and pretended like nothing was wrong.

“I left your clothes folded on the counter.” I told him as I slid my feet into my crusty shoes.

“Alright, thanks.” His hand closed around the doorknob. “Let’s go.” He was in a hurry to get rid of me, of course. No quicker was my seatbelt on, then we were down the street, already heading back towards where we’d come from the night before.

The ride back was absolutely silent, minus the quiet hum of heater. I couldn’t stop my nerves from fraying more and more until I was nearing a full panic attack. By the time we stopped on the bridge, my breath was hitching in my throat.

“You’ll have to show me how to get there from here, since this is where I… are you alright?” My eyes flashed over, urgent and hesitant and nervous and I could feel my heart in my throat and it tasted like bile and I just wanted to—

My thought was cut off by the hand that gripped my own. “Calm down, they asked you to come back, remember? It’ll all be fine, and if it isn’t,” he handed me a folded sheet of paper. “Call me and I’ll come pick you back up, no matter what time it is.”

I felt a little more confident. I’d have somewhere to go, someone to call, but would he come back if he knew why I left? I tried not to think about it, honestly. I had no other plan, and I’d rather not jeopardize this one with an admission.

“Just go up the street and take a left. It’s right down there.” I clenched the paper in my fist before sticking it in my pocket. It would be safer there. Rin put the car back in drive in cruised all the way down to my house. It wasn’t much on the outside, but it was large and cozy, built by my father’s father in an era gone by.

“Remember what I said, Aiichiro. I’ll come for you if you need me, just call. I’ll keep my cell by me at all times.” I nodded.

“Thank you for everything, Rin. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” Probably be free of another heartache.

I clenched the metal handle and threw the door open, taking one last look at the maroon eyes I’d likely not see again. I thought I saw a spark there, deep in the shadows, but it had to have been my imagination. Like anyone like him would fall for a pathetic teenager like me?

“Bye.” It was all I could say without breaking down again. I heard the car whiz away and I walked up to the front porch, feeling the goose bumps rise on my arms in the chilly air.

I pressed the doorbell, but shouldn’t I have just gone in? My house suddenly felt less welcoming and more like a trap. The door flew open and my mom’s arms went around my neck.

“Ai, I’m so glad you’re back! Your father and I were worried sick.” It was likely that he was, in fact, not worried sick about me. She just wanted to ease the tension and make sure I came back without fighting.

I didn’t say anything, but let her usher me inside the warm home. It smelled like she’d been cooking, cooking something good. I suppressed my watering mouth and headed straight up to my room, avoiding my father at all costs. I just wanted to save Rin’s number into my phone before something could happen. This was the only lifeline I had and I’d be damned to let it slip away now.

The blue flip phone sat on the windowsill where I’d left it before. My own room had a familiar scent of desperation and sadness, but it was really just fabric softener. I pressed my hand into my pocket to grab the piece of paper, but an overwhelming guilt hit me when I pulled out my underwear too.

He would probably realize that I’d taken his and then think I was a gross pervert and not want to see me again. I typed the number in and just left the name set as ‘Matsuoka’. That way, if anyone went through my contacts, they wouldn’t be able to make heads or tails of their identity. I collapsed back onto my own bed, taking a momentary comfort in the familiar mattress.

My peace was broken too soon, though, because Mom came upstairs a little bit later to get me for dinner. After the burger with Rin, I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I ate more anyways. I didn’t want Mom to get even more upset, and I didn’t want Dad to yell at me again. Mom kept the chitchat light, but Dad didn’t say a word.

As soon as my plate was clear, I excused myself and retreated back into my room. It would be smart to pack a bag in case of an emergency. I couldn’t live in Rin’s clothes forever… though it wasn’t a bad alternative to have. I shook it off. I needed to get over this imaginary crush. He was clearly not interested in me like that. He was just helping me out.

Stuffing a few pairs of jeans and like five shirts into an old backpack, I hid it under the bed. I didn’t want to make it seem like I was planning on leaving again. Which I wasn’t, unfortunately. Unless something happened, I’d stick it out to the bitter end. It was my fault that things had gone like this anyways.

With an overfull stomach, I staggered back into the bed, missing the gentle scent of Rin that helped get to sleep the previous night. I suddenly had a bright idea. I grabbed my phone and pulled up Rin’s contact information. I could text him!

_Are you still awake? Things went ok, in bed now._

I hit send. He probably wouldn’t text ba—

_That’s gr8. I’m glad to hear it. I’m about to fall asleep so ttyl._

My heart sank a little, but I replied.

_Thanks again, Rin. Good night._

Suddenly I felt all the blood rush to my face. Would he take that as flirting? I had texted him late, thanked him, and wished him good night! We were practically dating! Except… we weren’t. It was just a silly delusion of a sad teenage boy.

I sat my phone back down just in time for it to go off again.

_Don’t worry about it, Ai. Sleep well._

My heart thumped in my chest, and I tried to ignore it. I shoved my head under the blanket and fell asleep, the time I spent with Rin turning into just a sweet fever dream.

My mom woke me the next morning, the scent of cinnamon in the air. “I made breakfast, why don’t you come downstairs and have some." It seemed like that night had turned into just a bad nightmare as well. I stumbled down the creaky stairs and stopped in the warm dining room, the smell of food making me drool like crazy. I loved her homemade cinnamon rolls, but she barely ever made them anymore.

She sat a platter down in the middle of the table and began to walk around the room, pretending to clean.

“So I’ve been talking to the woman who lives up the street, you know her, and she has a lovely granddaughter and I’ve been talking to her about maybe setting up a little date for the two of you.” She said, not making eye contact. I stopped midbite, and just stared at the back of her head, avoiding the glare of disappointment from my father.

I swallowed hard. “Mom, we talked about this.” My stomach dropped, and I put the roll down. My appetite was suddenly gone.

“I know, but I just thought that…” She turned, but her cheerful smile fell when she looked at me.

“You just thought that you could change me? I’ve gone on dates with girls before and I just… don’t feel anything! I can’t help it, I was just made this way!” I couldn’t stop my voice from rising.

“But Ai, you should at least meet her, maybe she’ll be different.” She turned her head away, staring at the floor. I didn’t even notice my Dad get up.

“It won’t be any different because I already told you that I’m ga—” The next moment had me on the floor, with tears in my eyes. My father had struck me in the face, forcefully enough to knock me out of the chair.

“Don’t you speak to your mother like that you… you, fag. You’re not my son.” His eyes were vicious, the opposite of mine. My eyes were like soft blue cotton candy, all bright but too easy to destroy. My fathers were like ice, hard and unyielding; cold.

My mother called after me as I picked myself up. I ran to my room and slammed the door, locking myself in. I grabbed the phone, blurry eyes trying to find Rin’s number. I hit the green button, trying to quiet the sobs that were ripping through my body.

“Hey Ai, is everything okay?” His voice was immediately concerned, not even bothering with pleasantries.

“R-Rin, I—”My voice was cut off by a sob.

“I’m on my way, just go to the bridge and wait for me.” The phone clicked off and I threw it onto the bed. I curled up into a ball on the floor and tried to recover. I could feel the side of my face starting to swell a little from where I’d been struck.

At some point, I managed to pick myself up and change clothes. I remembered my jacket and phone this time. After I pulled myself together, I wasted no time grabbing the bag out from under my bed and running downstairs, eager to leave this place behind. This wasn’t my home, it was my hell.

My father stood in front of the door. “Where do you think you’re going?” The venom seeping out of his mouth was almost palpable.

“I’m not your son, why do you care?” I said, reaching past him to grab the doorknob. “Move out of my way.”

“I will not. You need to go apologize to your mother and agree to that date. There’s no life for you like that, and you know it.” He stood stone still.

“No, I don’t! All you’ve done is scream at me and call me names and hit me, but what is so wrong with it? Give me one good reason and I won’t leave.” I challenged him, and for once in my life, I might actually win.

He stared at me, and I could tell he was wracking his brain for something, anything. No words parsed his lips. I pulled open the door, shoving the knob into his side. That gave me enough of a window to slip out without being hit again. That didn’t stop him from yelling all manner of horrible things at me as I sped down the street.

By the time I reached the bridge, I just sank back down in the spot I’d been in the two nights before, tears running like rain down my face. It was a little while longer before Rin pulled up, just like he had before. Only this time, he got out of the car and walked over.

When I looked up, his eyes widened. “Wha… what happened to your face, Ai?” I swallowed down all the thick saliva that had built up in my mouth.

“My dad hit me.” I coughed out, my throat clogged up with the mucus of a half hour of crying.

“What the fuck did he do that for?” Rin’s voice and face were full or rage, creasing his smooth face.

“Because I… told them that I was gay.” I didn’t want to tell him, but I also didn’t want him to run down to my house and deck my dad. My head dipped down into my lap and I pulled my knees in tight.

“Are you shitting me right now?” Here it was, the scoff of disgust, the name calling, the sound of the car pulling away. “It’s okay if you’re gay, Ai. I’m not going to leave you here.”

My head shot up like a crack of thunder, eyes wide open. “What did you… what did you say?”

“Let’s get out of here, it’s going to start snowing any minute and the roads will be icy.” He grabbed my bag and tossed it in the backseat, urging me to hurry and get in the car. In spite of how I felt, I cried again. These tears were of relief and happiness.

I climbed into the passenger seat and didn’t stop crying all the way back to Rin’s apartment. He kept whispering things to me to try to calm me down, but between trauma and relief, my mind and body were both frazzled. I sat down on the couch, but Rin pointed down the hall.

“I have to go back to work now, but you should go ahead use the bed if you want to. I’m not going to be upset.” He grinned coyly, the faintest blush on his cheeks, but he quickly hurried back out. “Hey, don’t forget to call if you need anything, alright?”

“I will.” I slipped down the hallway, hesitantly pushing the door open. There wasn’t much in here besides the queen sized bed and twin nightstands on either side, like sentinels guarding it from intruders. I stepped back into the bathroom, hoping that the shirt I’d worn before was still there.

It hadn’t been touched. I just shirked off the gray polo and my pants and pulled the shirt on over my bare chest. My heart pounded as I crept into the bedroom. The bed sheets and comforter were all a heavy black color that weighed on me as I slipped under them. Immediately I was overwhelmed by Rin’s scent, the scent of cologne. Like before, it helped calm me.

Rin stuck out like a beacon of light in an otherwise dark, lonely world. I couldn’t help but relax, letting the stress of the morning wash away, pulling me out into the sea of sleep. No nightmares chased me down, but a dream woke me up. The red lights of the clock said that it was after midnight, and the arm wrapped around my waist confirmed it.

I twisted my head around in the bed to see that it was Rin. He was sound asleep behind me, but his right arm had been tossed over my waist, pulling my back into his chest. I wouldn’t, couldn’t object. I wasn’t even sure if it was realistic to expect something from a man I’d only known for two days, but here I was. I snuggled back into the blankets, not even a little upset.

He woke me up the following morning. “Psst, Ai, wake up.” A finger poked me in the side, until two hands came down on either side of my waist. I started jerking and twisting and I couldn’t stop laughing.

“I’m awake, I’m awake, cut it out! I can’t breathe!” I coughed a little and gave his bright eyes a tired look.

“I made us breakfast, you should come to the kitchen.” He squeezed my hand and headed back out. I was suddenly aware of the fact that he was not wearing pants, just a tank top over some Christmas-y boxers.

I ignored the blush that rose in my face and paced behind him, realizing that I also wasn’t wearing pants… and I was still wearing his underwear. Awkward.

Two plates of pancakes sat on the table, along with a few pads of butter and a bottle of syrup. “I made hot chocolate too.”

“I thought you said hot chocolate was the only thing you could make.” I gave him a questioning look, but sat down anyways. The smell of the warm fluffy pancakes was exactly what I wanted. They were light enough to not upset me, but heavy enough to be filling.

“I said they were almost the only thing I could make. I’m good at pancakes too.” He winked and began filling up two mugs, sliding them across the table at me while he sat down.

I started eating slowly, careful to not tease my anxiety-ridden stomach. Last thing I needed was to barf on him. Last thing I needed was…

“Where do we go from here, Rin?” I felt the concern was back over me. “I’ve only known you for two days and you’ve already done so much for me.” I shook my head. “Even still, it’s not like I can just move in with you.”

“Well,” he took a slow bite. “I don’t really like pizza crusts, and I can only cook a handful of stuff, but as long as you’re okay with eating the crusts and maybe helping out in the kitchen a little, I’d… like to have you here, Ai.” The look he was giving me wasn’t a look of friendship, and my pulse ripped through my body, sending every nerve alight.

I leaned forward, placing my hand on his bare thigh and tilted my chin up. Slowly, carefully, calculated, but he couldn’t wait. His hands went up to my chin and his face went down like lightning, connecting us in one rough kiss. I was the one to pull back, my face on fire, eyes alight, pulse racing.

“I’m sorry, I just… thought that I liked you.” I put my eyes on the empty plate. A hand shot out and pulled me into his lap, the bare skin of our legs rubbing together.

“I’m not sorry, Ai. I think I like you too.” Our lips clashed once again, and though the moment was fleeting, I felt very freed.

I slid down onto the floor and returned to my seat, as prompted by him. “Just give me a sec, okay?” He sped into the backroom before running outside three-fourths naked. He came back in carrying something, cursing like a sailor all the while. “It is really fucking cold outside, I wouldn’t recommend doing that.”

I just laughed as he walked over to the couch, beckoning me to come sit next to him. I didn’t think too much about it, but at this point there was no telling what could happen. I took my seat next to him, looking expectant, probably. He just pointed to the tree, a small box poised under the branches.

“You… didn’t buy me a present, did you? What is today?” I asked, suddenly aware that it wasn’t just a Thursday.

“Merry Christmas, Ai. Hurry and open it.” He plucked the box up and stuck it in my hands. I held my tongue and just pulled the red and green striped paper off, heart pounding. The small box was covered in fabric and it looked almost like…

I pulled it open and my heart stopped. A small silver ring sat inside, shining like a sun against the dark purple cushion.

“Rin, I’m really flattered, but we did just meet and I think we should at least wait a little before—” He started laughing and cut me off.

“I knew you were going to say that, you ass.” He took the box out of my hand and pulled the ring out of it. “It’s not an engagement ring, it’s just a promise.” His cheeks burned hot and red, and I was sure that he was a little embarrassed this time.

“A promise for what?” I felt my eyes lock onto his.

He swallowed a little and grabbed my right hand. “A promise that I won’t let anyone hit you again, or put you back into danger, and I want you to live here. I know we only just met, but… I can’t deny that I feel something.” He slid the ring onto my third finger, the ice cold metal numbing my finger a little. “I like you, Ai.”

“Rin, I,” I just dove forward, tackling him back onto the couch. “I don’t have a gift for you, but I can give you this.” I had no idea what I was doing, but I pressed my lips into his, opening them to let his tongue in my mouth. I pulled back before things went too far, breathless and red.

“Merry Christmas.” I breathed, trying not to laugh at how stunned Rin was.

He snapped out of it. “So you’ll stay?” He looked really excited, like a small child opening a present to find a toy they really wanted.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go, and I’m pretty sure that it snow, snow, snowed.” I shrugged. “So it looks like I’m with you.” He leaned forward in a chuckle to take me by the hand, and I just fell onto his chest. I didn’t bother to suppress the few tears of joy that rolled down my face, I just enjoyed the feeling of his warmth and the coldness of the ring.

“I can’t believe out of any joke that I told you, you had to steal the dumb ‘Let it Snow’ one.” He shook his head. “It wasn’t even that funny! I’m surprised you didn’t just run out the door right then.”

I leaned my head up, with a look of disbelief. “It totally wasn’t funny, but I was so emotionally vulnerable that I would’ve laughed at anything.” I slapped his chest, and rolled off him, examining the engraving on the ring.

“Kamizuka crossing number one thirty-four?” I asked, flipping my eyes back up.

“That’s the name of the bridge you were standing on! I just thought it would be romantic to, uh, commemorate where we first met. Sorry if you think it’s cheesy.”

“No, I like it. My mom always told me that you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’re starting. This way, I’ll always remember where we started and… I think I have an idea of where we’re going.” I laughed, as he leaned down to peck me on the cheek.

“I’ve already said it ten times today, but merry Christmas, Ai.” Speaking of Christmas.

“Okay so what’s with those boxers though? Were you trying to seduce me or what?” I asked, not even bothering to listen to the answer. If this was what I was in for, I was prepared. I scooted my face up towards his and kissed him to shut him up. “If you were going for seduction… you might have me there. Race you to the bedroom!”

I couldn’t help but laugh as he tripped over the coffee table and landed face first on the floor.

I was so ready for this.


	2. Rin's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bonus: What Rin was doing and feeling after returning Ai back to his home.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! I shouldn’t have left him there, but it was too late. I wanted to go back, take him back from his parents. That wouldn’t happen, though. He had no real reason to come back with me. I clutched the gear shifter tightly as a single tear slipped down my cheek, hot and quick. I was an idiot. I just needed to get over it. We’d only known each other a brief evening and I shouldn’t be getting attached.

He was a young guy anyways, just an eighteen year old. He needed to be back at home, getting ready for university like I’d foolishly neglected to finish. Besides, one gnawing hope stayed alive in the back of my head, just hoping that something would go wrong and he would call me back.

I bit my tongue, killing that thought. I would never want anything bad to happen to him, even if it did mean we could meet again. I just sucked it up and continued on down the road back to my apartment. Despite only being around for a night, it was weirdly lonely without Ai here. Even when I was just standing around in the kitchen, watching him come back to life across the counter was enough.

I kicked off my clothes and just sunk into bed, heart aching. Right as I was on the brink of sleep, the phone screamed on the nightstand next to me. I snatched it up, my heart pounding in my chest.

_Are you still awake? Things went ok, in bed now._

I felt the sting of disappointment well up in my gut upon reading the message.

_That’s gr8. I’m glad to hear it. I’m about to fall asleep so ttyl._

I just threw myself back into my mattress, sighing deeply in the process.

_Thanks again, Rin. Good night._

I felt the blood start to rush to my face. What was I even doing? There was no way that Ai wouldn’t think that something was up if I texted him back something weird.

_Don’t worry about it, Ai. Sleep well._

I tossed my phone back onto the nightstand. I really was an idiot. I just tossed the comforter back over my shoulder and fell asleep, dreaming that Ai could be lying next to me.

I missed my alarm the next morning. At least, the first three. I was notorious for sleeping through alarms, so I always had to set five when I needed to get up early in the morning. It was already past seven, so I wouldn’t have time for breakfast. I just slapped on some clothes, got in my car, and left.

As terrible as it was, literally no one around here was hiring. The best I’d managed to do was a part time gift-wrapper for a popular mall about a half hour drive away. Even if today was my last day on the job, I’d managed to make a little bit of bank for the next month, or until I could get another job. If worse came to worse, I’d have to pick up and move again, probably to the city.

I pretty much just tuned out while I was wrapping gifts for random people. When I started here around a month ago, my wrapping skills were terrible! I just fixed everything with tape, so much tape. I had to have a very intense wrapping lesson with my boss, who was a nice man thankfully. He told me that everyone starts off being terrible, but once they’ve been at it for a while, they can wrap just about anything.

It was about eleven when my phone rang, and I dropped the present on the table. It was Ai.

“Hey Ai, is everything okay?” A shot of hope mixed with fear ran through me. I wanted to see him again, but not if something had gone wrong.

“R-Rin, I—” Damn it. I had already skirted around the counter. My boss was yelling after me, but I was already gone.

“I’m on my way, just go to the bridge and wait for me.” I hit the end button as the automatic doors slid open and I stepped out into the icy morning. The forecast for today had predicted a lot of snow and ice, so I needed to make sure that I was careful driving.

My hands shook on the steering wheel the entire way there, which was not safe at all considering the weather. By the time I arrived, my stomach was a mess. I could’ve thrown up a thousand times, all from nerves. He was in the fetal position when I saw him, looking small and fragile. I still didn’t even know what happened to him. What had prompted all this?

I climbed out of the car, padding over quickly across the freezing metal. I briefly caught a glimpse of a metal plate welded to the girders, Kamizuka Crossing #134. When his head came up, I had to bite my tongue to stifle my shock. “Wha… what happened to your face, Ai?” His silver hair had matted down from the moisture in the air.

“My dad hit me.” His voice came out small and broken and I felt a wave of burning anger pierce through my chest. I didn’t want to throw up anymore, no, I wanted to throw down.

“What the fuck did he do that for?” His sky blue eyes wavered a little, but I couldn’t tell if it was from my reaction, or what he felt.

“Because I… told them I was gay.” Is that what this was all about? I felt two things in that instance: a stunning relief that maybe there could be something more between us, and a deep sadness that his parents had rejected him. I hadn’t seen my own mom in quite a while, but I told her and my sister when I was still in school. It was never an issue with them.

“Are you shitting me right now?” I sighed, trying to determine the best way to go about this whole thing. I was taking Ai back with me, that much was certain. “It’s okay if you’re gay, Ai. I’m not going to leave you here.”

His head came up out of his knees and I had to stop myself from laughing at the dumbfounded expression on his face. “What did you… what did you say?”

“Let’s get out of here, it’s going to start snowing any minute and the roads will be icy.” I took another step and grabbed his bag off the ground, pulling open the backdoor of the car to toss it in. I hurried him along, keeping my relief silent.

The relief that he felt was anything but silent. I was pretty sure that he didn’t stop crying all the way back to the apartment. I tried to calm him down, keeping my voice low and soothing. When we got back to the apartment, Ai made a beeline for the couch and threw himself into it. I just rolled my eyes and pointed towards the bedroom.

“I have to go back to work now, but you should go ahead and use the bed if you want to. I’m not going to be upset.” I could tell my face was a little red, but he might just attribute it to the cold. However, he couldn’t misattribute the grin that I was giving him. I turned to head back out, stopping in the door jam. “Hey, don’t forget to call if you need anything, alright?”

“I will,” he shouted back. Once I was sure the apartment was locked up tight, I headed back to work. It was around one now. By the time I got back, it was nearly two. Traffic was always shit when the weather was bad, and today was no exception.

I tried telling my boss that it was an emergency and that I had to go right then. He told me that it was lucky that today was my last day on the job. I sighed in relief and hopped back into line, wrapping at least another forty presents before the end of my shift. Tomorrow was Christmas, after all.

I wanted to get Ai something, but what would be appropriate for something like this? We’d only met two days ago… I spent the next hour walking around the mall, stopping a bunch of different stores. Nothing really caught my attention until I was walking past the jewelry store. The woman standing outside said they were having deals on special engraving for the holidays.

A special engraving, huh? That could be interesting and romantic, but hopefully not too stupid. I searched down the counter, looking for just the right ring. I settled for a small silver band that reminded me of his hair. What could I get engraved on it though? The date we met would be too stupid, his name wouldn’t work, my name wouldn’t work.

Suddenly the name of the bridge popped back into my head. I had the ring engraved with ‘Kamizuka Crossing #134’, the place where we first met. The woman running the store just giggled while I paid. She must’ve figured I was proposing to someone, wait. Would Ai think that I was trying to propose to him?

By that point, it was already too late. I shelled out the cash for it and the engraving was already done. The woman put it in a small box and wrapped it, admittedly better than I would have. I thanked her and headed away from the mall, eager to get back to the apartment and see Ai. He was probably sleeping though.

I decided to leave the ring in the car. I didn’t want him to see me with it until I was ready to give it to him. As I expected, Ai was wrapped up in the blankets on the bed, completely out. I sat down on the edge of the bed, just watching him for a moment. The purple mark that had grown on the side of his face made my heart ache. I made a silent promise to myself to not let anything like that happen to him again.

I bumbled around the apartment for the next while. I just wanted to clean up a little more, take care of the built up dishes, and make sure that the bathroom was clean. I laughed a little when I folded his pants and shirt up and set them with his bag in the bedroom. I was honestly surprised he hadn’t woken up yet. His capacity to sleep was kind of frightening.

I slipped out of my pants and crawled into the bed with him, hoping he wouldn’t wake up and scream at me or something. He roused enough to roll right over into my arms and mumble something. I pressed my face in the pillow and drifted off to sleep, happier than I’d been in a long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okey dokey, well this will be an exciting time to announce that I liked this particular AU so much that I'm expanding it into a couple more fics that take place in this world. I have a Soumomo one planned that will feature Rin and Ai as background characters, and a sequel to this fic that features Rin and Ai's relationship again! 
> 
> I worked really hard on both parts of this, so I hope you're excited and looking forward to the other parts of this series!

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is gently based on that Avril Lavigne song "I'm With You" and I couldn't help myself because Rintori is an important ship and Nitori is an important baby.


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